In the prior art, there have been numerous methods of constructing precast concrete structures for the purpose of building engineering structures such as houses, office buildings or other concrete structures. Columns and beams are the most common precast concrete structures constructed in a factory and later transported to the site.
The site for constructing precast concrete panels are generally located far from the construction site and therefore transporting said precast concrete structures is very costly as it requires heavy transportation. Furthermore, the high cost of transportation is one of the reasons why precast concrete structures have not gained much popularity in the field of building industry.
Normally, each section in a building consists of different size of structural panels, which have different widths, heights and thickness. Where precast concrete panel are used, preparing different moulds for each type of panel in a building can be an expensive exercise and time consuming.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,473 teaches a method of casting a precast beam comprising of a formwork with at least two spatially oriented upper sleeves and two spatially oriented lower sleeves and there between provided a connecting member. The length and height of the precast beam is determined by the dimension of the connecting member, which preferably is wood. There is one drawback of this invention, each time a new beam is to be casted, a new connecting member is required. This method becomes inconvenient as storage space is required to store the connecting members.
The objective of the present invention is to reduce the above mentioned drawbacks by providing a portable and light weight formwork, which is easily transported to the construction site with minimal transportation cost.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a longitudinal channel with sufficient thickness along the edges of the precast concrete panel but reducing the thickness of the central region of the precast concrete panel.
Another objective of the present invention is that to introduce an universal formwork, wherein the same formwork can be used to cast different size of concrete panel without adding any additional formwork.
Another objective of the present invention is to introduce a precast concrete panel with aesthetic opening for the installation of window and the like